Dragon Quest VIII: Memories of Medea
by iPhan o' Dragon Quest
Summary: An unhappy Medea prepares to marry Prince Charmles of Argonia. As she travels to her destination, she flashes back to her happy childhood with Eight.


Welcome back. I have decided to make a fanfiction about after the battle with Rhapthorne (basically about Medea and Eight's marriage and what comes after).

This will be a more mature fanfic, at climaxes there will be sexual activities. At the grand finale, well, I don't know.

This story won't be uploaded nearly as often as the first fanfic, not at least until I'm done with the childhood of Eight and Medea. Then I'll get to the marriage of the happy couple.

This is still a chapter of _Memories of Medea_, I will not start the other fanfic until I get to Chapter 15 of the current one.

Hope you enjoy ^^

_Memories of Medea_

_Chapter 7_

"It seems that I owe you my life as of now, Princess Medea. However can I repay you?", Eight asked, kneeling before Medea.

"Stay at the castle", Medea replied immediately. "Promise me that you'll never set another home anywhere else."

Eight was a little unhappy about this. He knew it would take him a while for him to be able to sleep in such an unfamiliar environment. But, to please Medea, he reluctantly agreed.

"You'll also sleep in my room.", Medea said. "But in a different bed, of course."

Once again, Eight knew he would be uncomfortable, but he knew that he was in a huge debt to Medea.

Medea could have died twice, but that would be kind compared to having constant flashbacks and actually feeling the pain that was inflicted on him.

He again reluctantly agreed.

"Now that that's settled," Medea said. "Let me show you your new bedroom."

She then led Eight to her room, directed him to go inside, and closed the door behind them.

Medea said, "I know you'll be uncomfortable, but I want to make sure the flashbacks don't come back."

Eight nodded. He was still very uncomfortable, even around his first and best friend.

Medea sensed this as well. His gaze kept on shifting around the room, then back to her, and his shoulders were tensed. She realized that this was a matter she would have to address.

"Eight," she started. "I think I have figured out why I acted as I did when you carried me back from the forest." She turned away and tried to think of a way to say that she didn't have romantic feelings for him.

"What I mean to say is... And please don't take any offence... But I", she trailed on, not knowing what to say.

Eight said softly, "You can just tell me, Medea. I won't take any offence."

Medea gathered up her courage, and then said all at once, "I don't love you, Eight."

As soon as she said it, she knew it was a lie.

Eight knew it was a lie, too. But he acted as if it was real.

He forced some sadness into his eyes, and nodded.

"I understand.", he said.

He then stood up and left the room. He knew that this was the closest thing to what a rejected man would do.

Medea was frozen at what she had done. Had she really done it?

The rest of the day, Eight spent wandering around the castle, his new home.

Just to be sure, he went back to the cell in which he was tortured, and while he did feel anger inside him, he still was in full control of himself.

He knew that he had feelings for Medea. He was in love with her. Of that he was certain.

But he wondered if she would be able to return that love with her own. He knew that Trode hadn't actually canceled the marriage. Until he heard whispers about Trode canceling the marriage from the denizens of Trodain Castle, Trode couldn't have canceled the marriage.

This was what Trode was thinking as well.

"_They'll eventually have a fight at some point and I'll use that as an excuse to remove Eight. All friendships have fights._", Trode thought. Eight stood in the way of the marriage. If Eight was removed, then everything would happen according to plan.

In the evening, Eight steeled himself, and then went to his new bedroom. He was glad to see that Medea was asleep. Or at least what he thought was asleep.

He tried to relax on the mattress put out for him, but he felt himself sinking. He then relocated himself to the corner of the room. Here he wasn't sinking in the floor, and he was fairly comfortable. He then fell asleep.

Medea then arose and then looked at Eight. The moonlight illuminated his face, and Medea found all his features cute and adorable. She knew that many of the girls in the palace would eventually try to steal him.

Eight slept with no snore at all. The only sound made was him inhaling.

As Medea looked at Eight, she saw his bandana, and untied it. She had never seen Eight without his bandana.

She saw hair that made Eight look even more cute. She sighed, thinking that she'd have him all to herself in time. She then smelled the bandana, and she thought it smelled wonderful, like strawberries and apples.

"_He must harvest quite a bit of fruit to smell like this_", she thought.

Eight had worn his bandana for so long that being without it was completely new to him. He opened his eyes, feeling his head was exposed. The first thing he saw was Medea. He dreaded the conversation that would ensue.

When she saw his eyes open, she froze. She cursed herself for waking him up. She had not seen him for the day, and to talk with him after she had "rejected" him would be very awkward.

He sat up. She moved over and sat next to him. The two didn't talk for a while. Then Medea said softly, "Sometimes I wished that I wasn't a princess. Before you came, it was all studies for me."

Eight didn't move, but she knew that he was listening.

"I even thought about running away", Medea said. "But I knew that I wouldn't survive on my own for long."

Eight still remained motionless. Medea turned to Eight, her green eyes flashing in the moonlight.

"But then, I had been talking to my father about leaving, telling him that I would leave if I couldn't find any friends here. He sent me to my room. A soldier asked me five minutes later that he was trying to run away from the castle. He asked me if I wanted to join him.", Medea continued.

Eight didn't say anything, but he turned his head and looked at Medea.

"That soldier was the same soldier that was going to execute you.", Medea said. "Had I gone with him, I would have been treated harshly and in ways that would not be pleasant."

Eight then said, "What stopped you from going?"

Medea smiled; a beautiful smile that made Eight dizzy. "You did.", she said.

"The soldier told me that he would sneak me out later in the night. I had been waiting impatiently.", she said. "But then, my father brought you in. When we talked, I realized that you could be a friend to me. I told the soldier to wait a bit before taking me out.", she continued.

"On the night of my birthday, you gave me that wonderful kite.", Medea said. "I told the soldier that I would not go with him." She paused, remembering the conversation after.

"He became very angry. He was about to hit me, but you walked in through the front door.", Medea said.

Eight nodded, remembering. He had seen a scared expression on Medea's face, and he had been perplexed. Now he knew why.

Medea then turned her face away. When she showed it again, there was only a sad expression.

"Eight.", she said. Eight looked at her again. "What I said to you earlier... it's not true. I'm sure you know. But I think we're both too young to fully understand what it means.", Medea said, then paused.

"Let's not talk about this until we're ready, Eight.", she said.

Eight nodded.

Medea stood up and went back to her bed. She asked Eight, "Are you sure you'll be able to sleep?"

Eight nodded.

Medea said, "Good night."

**Author's note: **I thought about making everything up to here a chapter, but this is so short that it would seem like an insult. Have fun with the next part.

Medea woke up late in the morning. She saw that Eight was nowhere to be found in her room.

She dressed and went through the castle, looking for Eight.

She saw him talking to the head of guard. "_I wonder what he's saying?"_, she wondered.

When she got close enough, she heard Eight say, "So will you allow me to start training?"

The head of guard said, "I guess so... But kid, you're still at a young age. Our youngest member is 21. You're not anywhere near that."

"I can fight well with a sword.", Eight said. He then left in the opposite direction that Medea was eavesdropping in.

She caught up with him, and she greeted him and him her. She then asked, "Why are you training to be a palace guard?"

Eight sighed. "I had meant to keep this a secret from you. I will get bored of my life if it's spent just entertaining you. That's why I have asked the head of guard to accept me as a recruit."

Medea exclaimed, "You're too young, Eight!"

Eight smiled. A smile full of confidence. "Then I'll be the youngest palace guard.", he said.

He then looked Medea in the eyes. "But I'm not allowed to start official training until I'm 13. So, I guess I'll have to wait five years.

Medea sighed in relief. She'd at least have him for that long. She got worried, though, because once a palace guard, Eight would have to watch over all the denizens of the castle. She knew that some girl would try to steal Eight from her.

"_Or I could have him promoted as my bodyguard...", _she thought.

She then examined Eight's smile closely. She knew it didn't look identical to the other ones he'd given her.

"Eight", she said carefully, "is something wrong"?

She knew from the look in his eyes before he replied that something was indeed wrong. There was surprise in his eyes, and something else... But then Eight turned away.

"No", Eight said, "Everything's fine."

Medea sighed. "Follow me.", she said.

She then walked to her room, Eight following her.

She said, while not looking at him, "If we're going to be friends, why are we not honest to each other?"

She then turned around, and glanced at Eight. "Well?", she said.

There was still surprise in his eyes, and something else, but she couldn't make out just what.

When Eight finally had a reply, he looked away and he said carefully. "I don't know whether it is right or appropriate to tell you."

"Eight, look me in the eyes and tell me that again.", Medea said. Since she owed Eight so much, she would stop at nothing to try and solve whatever problem he was having.

Eight looked at her, and she finally figured out what the other feeling was in his eyes.

_"Pain. Pain greater than being tortured. What could cause such pain?"_

Eight could tell that she was reading his eyes. It was a handy trick that Medea had learned while being showered gifts from other nobles. The other nobles were trying to get it good with Medea and maybe get it good with Trode. Who knows?

Eight looked away and said, "It has some-"

"If you look away, I'll assume that whatever you say is a lie.", Medea interrupted.

Eight looked at Medea, and said, "It has something to do with my parents."

Medea stepped back, surprised.

Eight continued, still looking at Medea. "I'm still working out the details myself."

Then, Eight remembered one sentence said. "_How will we tell Eltrio's younger brother?"_

Eight asked Medea, "Do you know anyone named Eltrio?"

Medea said, "I believe he was a prince of Argonia... But he went away, looking for someone and was never seen again."

"Do you know who his younger brother is?", Eight asked.

Medea said, "King Clavius of Argonia? Why is this important?"

Eight looked away and thought about what he had just heard.

Finally, after rechecking each detail, he turned to Medea and said, "I believe Eltrio was my father."

Medea seemed to be very surprised at this. She didn't dwell on the unlikely statement, but other things that could be concluded from it.

"Had Eltrio not disappeared, you would be... Prince of Argonia!", she said.

Eight nodded.  
>"We must tell my father at once!", Medea exclaimed.<p>

"Wait!", Eight said. "I first need to see a picture of Eltrio. If I look alike to him, then I may be right."

So, Medea asked around for a picture of Eltrio, and many said, "Princess Medea, the young boy that you always hang around with is a picture of Eltrio himself!"

She finally asked Trode.

"Father, do you have any pictures of Eltrio, prince of Argonia?", Medea asked.

Trode considered this. "I believe I do."

Trode arose and said, "Wait here."

When he came back, he came back with a small painting of Eltrio. "Apparently, a maid saw Eltrio 25 years ago and fancied him at first sight." Trode looked at the painting.

"You know, this looks quite alike to young Eight himself. This is rather odd.", Trode said.

Medea took the picture and said, "Thank you, Father", then rushed up to her chamber, where Eight was patiently waiting.

She put the picture on her bed, studied it, and looked at Eight.

There were many similarities, the same kind face, the eyes, and the hair was definitely the same color.

Eight looked at the picture and seemed astonished at how closely the two resembled each other.

"Let's go and tell my father," Medea said. "It's worth a try."

The two went to where Trode was, and Trode asked, "What is it now, dear?"

"Father," Medea started. "Look at the picture and Eight."

Trode did, and he shook his head in disbelief. "How can this be? Eltrio was childless when he came to our castle."

"Forget that, Father!", Medea exclaimed. "If Eight is Eltrio's son, then wouldn't he be a prince of Argonia?"

Trode froze. He hadn't considered that.

"You're right! He would also be the crown prince, because he is a bit older than Charmles...", Trode said.

"And that would mean that he would be the one to marry you.", Trode finished the sentence.

Medea beamed with joy. She would be able to marry Eight when she was older!

But Trode wasn't finished.

"But I can't cancel the marriage between you and Charmles.", Trode said.

"WHAT? WHY?", Medea asked, quite surprised. Then she remembered that her father was supposed to already have canceled the marriage. "Didn't you already cancel the marriage?"

King Trode knew that whatever he said would ultimately lead him admitting that he didn't cancel the marriage. So, he steeled up his courage, and said, "I didn't cancel the marriage because I figured that you and Eight would eventually get into an argument, and I would use that to remove Eight from the castle."

Eight sighed.

Medea turned to Eight. "How are you not surprised?"

Eight said, "Had his Majesty actually have canceled the marriage, there would be rumors everywhere. To test this, I hid myself using some magic, and listened for rumors. Finding none, I concluded that Trode had only faked the cancellation, to keep me in the castle."

Medea looked at Trode, with a deceptively calm look in her eyes. "Is this true, Father?", she said.

Trode swallowed, hard. He knew he was screwed. Looking away, and bracing himself, he said, "Yes."

He braced himself for the worst, but when he looked at Medea again, he saw a calm look on her face.

She said, "This works out well. If there's no princess of Trodain to marry a prince of Argonia, then the marriage cancels, does it not?"

She then ran out of the room. Eight looked at Trode.

Trode said, "I'm sorry.. I didn't expect you or Medea to find out anytime soon." He was still in shock that his plot was revealed.

Eight went after Medea with a concerned expression. He saw her going into her room. He followed her, but halfway there, he realized that he was the whole problem.

Nonetheless, he still went to Medea's room, and found her packing her things.

"What are you doing?", Eight asked.

"Running away.", Medea replied.

Eight tried to protest, but Medea interrupted him. "It's not just you, Eight. My father has deceived me enough. I'm not going to be a princess here. Let some other girl be the princess. I don't care!"

Eight asked, "And you are still running away, thinking that you'll be able to survive on your own?"

Medea looked up with a startled expression. "You're not going to come with me?", she asked.

"If I leave with you, from anywhere from 5 to 50 paces from the castle, an archer will get a lucky shot and hit me.", Eight said.

Medea stopped packing. She knew that without Eight, or someone that would be able to care for her and protect her, she wouldn't survive more than a week.

A guard entered the room. He said, "I have been sent by King Trode to stop Princess Medea from leaving her room. But he said, 'Eight is free to go.'"

Medea and Eight looked at each other. They knew the meaning behind that statement. Eight was being kicked out.

Eight stood up. "So be it.", Eight said softly.

Medea was astounded. "You're leaving, Eight?"

"Yes, I am.", he said.

"Guard. If he leaves this room, execute him.", Medea said in a commanding voice.

"What?", Eight said.

Medea ignored him. "If this order is not carried out, I will personally make sure that you yourself are executed."

The guard knew that Trode wouldn't execute him, but he was still shaken by the way Medea said those words.

Eight just stood there, looking from Medea to the guard. He then started to walk towards the door.

The guard drew his sword. "By the order of Princess Medea, you are not allowed to leave this room."

Eight turned around and looked at Medea. "What is the meaning of this?", he asked.

Medea said, "Before you or I leave this castle, we **have **to talk about it first."

Eight knew that the window was open. He started to cast Zoom, and that would teleport him far away from here, but stopped at the last part of the spell.

"After you ran out of that room, I realized that if I wasn't here, none of these problems would exist. Right now, I have almost completed a spell of teleportation. I need only one more sentence to teleport nearly an ocean away.", Eight said.

Medea leapt up and tried to silence Eight in some way, but he muttered out a sentence, and said, "Zo-".

A voice reverberated in his mind, and in Medea's as well.

_"Eight. Medea. Your futures are closely intertwined. Eight, if you finish that sentence, those futures will be ripped apart. Medea, while you are engaged to Charmles, prince of Argonia, your future lies with Eight, until the day that you die. _

_Eight, you are of special birth. You do have royal blood running through your veins. But you are only half human."_

_"My lady," _Eight thought, and Medea heard it as well. "_You have told me that I am half human many times. But you have yet to tell me what the other half is."_

_"In time, Eight, you will go on a journey. The journey will not be about your bloodline and what it contains, but you will receive that information.", _the voice continued.

"_Who are you?"_, Medea thought demandingly. "_How do you know that my future and his are closely intertwined?"_

The voice let out a chuckle. Medea decided that it was a feminine voice. "_I am who much of your kind worship as a goddess. Eight, seek out the great sage that resides in Farebury. He will be of much help to you. As for you, Medea, you know you have feelings for Eight. Do not act upon them until you are certain of what extent those feelings travel."_

The voice left, and Eight was in the middle of his spell. He managed to close his mouth, and Medea crashed into him. They both fell to the floor.

"Ow!", Eight said. While Medea was light, his backbone certainly didn't appreciate slamming on to hard wooden floors.

"You heard the voice, right Eight?", Medea said.

Eight nodded. "I'll be leaving for Farebury tonight."

He then said a spell, the same one, but this time, at the last phrase, instead of saying, "Zoom Maella Abbey!", he said, "Zoom Trodain Castle!". He was teleported to the castle walls.

Damn. That was a long chapter.

I might be unraveling the friendship too rapidly, but I want Eight and Medea to have at least SOME feelings for each other so I can use ideas that pop into my mind that are romantic (to some extent) because the pair will be established as already liking/loving each other.

That being said, I might have to skip through a few years so I can get to Eight finally starting to train as a castle guard.

Once all this drama is resolved, I will probably skip a few years, saying that after the drama of Eight's arrival, not much else transpired.

Or something like that. Maybe I'll include a chapter about Eight's birthday?  
><em>It's Eight's birthday, and Medea wants to celebrate it with him... In more ways than one.<em>

HOLY JESUZ THAT SOUNDS SEXY 3

The pervertedness.. Oh my Gawd.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and get ready for Chapter 8!

This will probably be where I start to wind the drama down.. or create even more...

What will I do?

Find out next chapter!


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